American Legends: The Life of Andy Griffith

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures*Includes Griffith's own quotes about his life and career*Includes a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contents“What I like is to play a character like me. I don't care for it too much when I have to get away from myself.” – Andy Griffith “I wanted to prove that I could play something else, but there were 249 episodes out there of 'Mayberry,' and it was aired every day. It was hard to escape.” – Andy GriffithA lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. In 1957, little known comedian and actor Andy Griffith won acclaim for his portrayal as a country drifter who uses his powers of persuasion to become a television host in A Face in the Crowd, so it was only fitting that the role helped propel him to become the face of one of America’s most beloved sitcoms. The Andy Griffith Show starred Griffith and a motley crew of eccentric characters, most notably his sidekick Barney Fife (played by Don Knotts), and it managed to be one of the most popular shows in history during its run from 1960-1968, despite having a nostalgic feel that Griffith once "Well, though we never said it, and though it was shot in the 1960s, it had a feeling of the 1930s. It was when we were doing it, of a time gone by." The show obviously catapulted its namesake to fame, but it also made stars out of Don Knotts and a young Ron Howard, who went on to become one of Hollywood’s best directors. It also spawned several spin-off shows, a perfect ending for a show that was itself partly a spin-off out of an episode of The Danny Thomas Show Griffith proceeded to appear on television in various roles, both in shows and movies, but his most memorable role was as the eponymous lawyer in Matlock, which was on air for nearly a decade. The series was much like Perry Mason, and with its dramatic courtroom scenes, it helped popularize subsequent shows that banked on courtroom drama. American The Life of Andy Griffith chronicles the life and career of one of America’s favorite television stars. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Andy Griffith like never before, in no time at all.

Genres: Biography

50 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2014

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Rick Bavera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a quick read!

Interesting information. It read more like a high schooler's research paper than a professional writer/publisher book. But it was short. What do I expect?

And I did learn a couple things I had not known before.

And Andy Griffith was/is one of my favorite people to watch.

[Elizabeth Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short read

Informative and captivating great quick read enjoyed it thoroughly would recommend to anyone who is interested in the great life of Andy Griffith

[Donadee's Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Griffith was the epitome of a Christian man. His gift to the world was being able to give laughter. Of course, the world knew him as an actor but he was so much more. He believed in the values of being a Christian and never forgot where he was from. He was generous, loving and full of life. He worked hard for what he achieved and was his own hardest critic. Knowing what he wanted from life he worked even harder to obtain it. Money was never his ultimate goal, people's enjoyment was. It wasn't until his later life that he mastered his singing career but even that was filled with laughter. The world truly lost a legend when he went home that can never fully be replaced. The life of Andy Griffith is a remarkable read and one that I really enjoyed. I'm sure you will too.

[Tim Chavel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This very small book does not offer much new information but does have some good pictures. If you are an Andy Griffith fan you will enjoy it, but remember it is a small book (more like a pamphlet).